As Type Network envisioned it, this new company would be a hybrid: part quality controller, part distributor, and all collective. It would mix old and new; established partners like Font Bureau and Carter & Cone would rub elbows with up-and-comers like Victoria Rushton and CJ Dunn, thus underscoring Type Network’s commitment to tradition, innovation, and mentorship. The spirit of collaboration runs high; partners share resources and knowledge. For Jill Pichotta, a longtime Font Bureau veteran who oversees quality assurance at Type Network and scrupulously reviews every single font that goes out the door, such teamwork is galvanizing. “There is a lot of power and possibility when great designers join together to share their creativity and talent,” she mused.

There is also power in numbers. “When Type Network launched a year ago,” recalled Occupant Fonts’ Cyrus Highsmith, “one of the big questions on my mind was if we would be able to expand it beyond former Font Bureau designers.” Expand we did. The following months saw us welcome eight new foundries: CJ Type, CSTM Fonts, Kontour, Mark Simonson, Monokrom, Newlyn, Retype, and Type-Ø-Tones. More are on the way. But this expansion hasn’t just been about simple growth; Type Network focuses intently on a measured selection of potential collaborators. “I am so pleased to be a part of this carefully-curated collection of top creatives in the font-making world,” says Zavier Leslie Cabarga, “and I very much appreciate being dragged along into the ever-evolving future of font marketing.”

Beyond specific releases, Type Network supports its foundry partners in other ways. Sometimes we write profiles of them, as Amy Papaelias did with Greg Thompson. Other times, our partners tell their own stories—beautifully. We occasionally delve into the mechanics of individual typefaces, as Yves Peters has done with Bennet, Fit, and Embury Text. Peters has also reprised his popular ScreenFonts series, where he analyzes movie-poster typography and plumbs the Type Network library for alternatives to some of the faces used.

So come say hello, either digitally or in person. Tell us how you’re using our faces. And wish us well! The coming year promises to be even busier than our first, and we look forward to many prolific years to come.

All Type Network fonts are available for print, web, applications, and ePub licensing. Webfonts may be tested free for thirty days. To keep up with what we’re doing, subscribe to Type Network News, our occasional email newsletter featuring font releases, foundry happenings, type and design events, and more.